One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first chance to plant melampodium in Daphne can be estimated by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Melampodium

Frost tolerance for melampodium:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You should not plant melampodium until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant melampodium in Daphne is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant melampodium and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your melampodium may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your melampodium indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Daphne. You should expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Daphne may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Daphne it frosts late in the year after March 15 be ready to protect your melampodium in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Daphne

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Daphne

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Daphne.